The Best Southwest Credit Cards December 2022

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Southwest is smaller than the three “big” US airlines (American, Delta?, and UnitedIt is no longer a popular choice, but it remains an excellent option for many travelers due to its customer-friendly policies such as two free checked bags per customer or no change fees. Plus, Southwest points are never expired — so even if you’re not traveling right now, you don’t have to worry about losing your hard-earned rewards.

This information will help you to choose the best Southwest credit card for you.

Here, we’re focusing on the perks and rewards that each card offers. The cards are not worth the expense if you are paying late fees or interest. It is important that you pay your credit card in full each month. Also, pay on time and only spend what you are able to afford.

Compare the top Southwest credit cards

Southwest customers who fly can benefit from a co-branded credit cards. These cards allow you to earn more Rapid Rewards points and can earn you free flights. Earn the Southwest Companion Pass. If you Get a Companion PassYour designated companion can fly for free with you (just pay taxes, fees and taxes) on both paid and award tickets.

Effective January 1, 2023 To earn Companion Pass, you will need to earn 135,000 Companion Pass points within a yearInstead of the 125,000 points currently offered, you will receive a “boost” of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year. However, if your Southwest credit card is active, you will be eligible for a “boost”, which is 10,000 Companion Pass qualified points per year. (This boost applies to all members, regardless of how many Southwest Cards you have).

Three personal cards from Southwest are Rapid Rewards Personal Cards: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardThe, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

There are two major differences between these cards: their annual fees. The annual fee for the Plus card is $69, while the Premier or Priority cards cost $99 and $149 respectively.

Each card has a different anniversary bonus.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 3,000 anniversary bonus points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: 6,000 anniversary bonus points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 7,500 anniversary bonus points

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card now offer two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year (which normally costs $15 to $25 and allows you to automatically check-in 36 hours prior to departure) and 25% back on inflight purchases.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card holders get a few extra perks (but don’t receive the EarlyBird Check-In benefit):

Both the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card do not charge a foreign transaction fee, and both cards can earn you Tier-Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward Southwest A-List status. For every $10,000 spent on cards during a calendar year you will earn 1,500 TQPs. There is no cap to how many TQPs you may earn (previously there was a limit).

You must earn 35,000 TQPs per calendar year to be an A-List member. You get priority boarding, 25% points bonus on flights paid for and priority boarding.

After spending $3,000 in the first three month, all three cards offer 75,000 bonus points. 

Every card earns bonus points for:

• Purchases at Southwest and Rapid Rewards
• Local transit, commuting (including rideshare),
• Internet, phone, and cable services
• Select streaming

For every dollar you spend on anything else, you’ll get 1 point

Southwest personal credit card comparison

Southwest boasts two Co-branded business credit cardsThe Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit CardAnd the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card charges a $99 annual fee, while the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is more expensive, at $199. However, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has a better anniversary bonus, giving 9,000 points on each cardmember anniversary compared to the 6,000 points you’ll get each year with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.

Their ongoing earnings potential is the biggest difference between these cards. The Premier Business Card earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, and Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners earns 2 points per $1. However, the Performance Business card earns 4 points per $ and 3 points per $2 in these categories.

And with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on the following business expenses as well:

• Search engine advertising and social media
• Internet, phone, and cable services

Both cards earn 2 points per $1 on local transit, commuting, and rideshare. They also offer up to $500 worth of fee credits for points transfer (for example, to members) each year.

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card also gives cardholders up to $100 for a TSA PreCheck, Global EntryOr NEXUSAn application fee credit, four upgraded boarders per year (when they are available) and inflight Wi -Fi credits You will get 80,000 points upon signing up for the program after you have spent $5,000 within the first 3 months.

Like the personal Southwest credit card, points earned by Southwest small-business cards can be used towards the Companion Pass. 

If your business spends a lot of money each year on social media advertising or internet, cable, and phone services, you’ll definitely want to go with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. If you fly at least four times per year, you might also consider the Performance Business card. You could then take advantage of the four upgraded flights per year as well as some other perks.

But, if your bonus spending is low, your earning potential will decrease. You may not be able to get the best value from the extra day-of-flight benefits if you fly only once or twice per year. 

If you decide the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card don’t make sense for you, you may want to consider one of the consumer Southwest credit cards discussed above.

Or, because you have the option to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards pointsSouthwest and Other hotel and airline partnersWhen you have Chase travel cardsLike the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®And Ink Business Preferred® Credit CardThese cards may be better if you value flexibility. Southwest will not receive Chase Ultimate Rewards points. NotYou can count towards earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

Southwest Small Business Credit Card Comparison

How to choose the right Southwest credit card for you

If your main goal for getting a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card is to earn a welcome bonus offer, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card could be a great choice. The card offers the highest annual fee and the same intro bonus as the two other cards.

But if you plan to use your Rapids Rewards card for multiple years, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card cards offer better value. The anniversary bonuses offered by both cards are often double or greater than those you get with the Plus card. International travelers will find the more expensive cards better because they don’t charge foreign transaction fees.

When comparing the Premier and Priority cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit CardIt easily wins. The higher annual fee can be easily reduced by $75 per year in Southwest travel credit. This plan also offers a greater anniversary bonus, as well as additional perks and discounts in flight.

In short, if you’re looking for an airline card to earn free flights in the short term, you may want to choose the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Otherwise, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the Best long-term value.

You can’t have more than one personal Southwest credit card at the same time. Also, you cannot open a personal Southwest card if your Southwest card has given you a welcome bonus in the past 24 months. Be careful when choosing a card.

All Southwest cards are also subject to Chase’s 5/24 ruleThis means that you won’t be approved for any card you have opened in the last 24 hours (from any bank with the exception of some small-business cards).